When Argentina were rounding off their demolition of Ireland in Cardiff last Sunday, television footage showed Agustin Pichot up in the stand, excitedly kicking his feet on a barrier in front of him.

It was a seated jig of joy, prompted by the glorious sight of his long-term vision taking shape before his eyes at the Millennium Stadium. After the Pumas had dumped the Six Nations champions out of the World Cup with a stunning 43-20 victory which propelled them into the semi-finals, the former scrum-half rang his wife to confirm that all the years of demanding, long-distance diplomacy had paid off.

Pichot was the national captain who made the rapid shift from to the pitch to the corridors of power after ending his Test career on a high – by leading Marcelo Loffreda’s class of 2007 to a third-place finish at that year’s World Cup. Their heroics in France galvanised the South Americans’ demands for a place in an annual tournament, but they needed a figurehead for the campaign.

The Argentina squad huddle together to prepare for a training session at Pennyhill Park on Wednesday

Leonardo Senatore (left) is held back by Martin Landajo as the squad gets ready for their big day

Landajo puts boot to ball in training (left) while Matias Moroni shows off his footballing skills

Matias Alemanno of Argentina has a go at a standing long jump as they continued their preparations

Agustin Pichot in action for Argentina against Australia during the 2003 World Cup group stage

Pichot salutes the Argentina fans with his children after their defeat to South Africa in the 2007 semi-final

‘Gus’ was that man; driven, passionate, charismatic and hugely respected. The sheer force of his will as a novice negotiator became the decisive factor in gaining Argentina admission into the Rugby Championship three years ago. That historic development has served as the platform for Daniel Hourcade to turn the Pumas into a resurgent force, as the Irish discovered to their cost.

For Pichot, the result five days ago justified so much work behind the scenes, which kept him away from home for long periods. Asked if he felt that all the countless meetings had been worthwhile, he said: ‘That is the message I said to my wife, after the game against Ireland!

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‘I spoke to her and my daughters. I was grateful to them for the time that I had to be away from them, because the most important thing is your family. They put up with me travelling around the world and every single meeting has been worth it.

‘As a player, I didn’t have the chance to play in a Rugby Championship and play Tests regularly for Argentina. So my world was to make that complete and do it for other players. Every single trip without sleeping and every single meeting at 3am was worth it.

‘I am a scrum-half who is a very small person but I never give up. Yes, there were doubts. Sometimes I was in bed in a random hotel in Sydney or Wellington and thinking, “Are we on the right track?” But, as I did as a player, I just had to dig in and wake up the next morning feeling hopeful.’

Argentina's players celebrate after their superb victory over Ireland in the quarter-final

The South American side sealed their win in emphatic fashion at the Millennium Stadium

Argentina's fans going wild at the ground in Cardiff after their side secured their spot in the last four

As they prepare for the game of their lives against Australia at Twickenham on Sunday, the current Pumas have renewed reason to give thanks to Pichot and Co for what they did in 2007, which created an appetite within the game’s hierarchy to bring Argentina in from the cold. At the end of that year, the ‘Woking Accord’ decreed that a vacancy should be found for them within the elite international competitions. That concept was ratified by the IRB the following year.

However, when Pichot and the UAR (Argentine union) approached the Six Nations with a plan to join them, host ‘home’ matches in Spain and enter two teams into an expanded Celtic League, they were dismissed ‘within 30 seconds’. That was a scheme founded on the fact that most leading Pumas were playing for European clubs, but Argentina now have cause to celebrate its failure.

THEY SHRED DEFENCES

Argentina are the most successful side of the four semi-finalists in terms of beating defenders. They evade the opposition with an astonishing 25 per cent of carries, five per cent more than New Zealand.

Instead, in 2009 they were provisionally invited by SANZAR to join Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in a yearly event to replace the old Tri-Nations. The invitation was conditional on jumping through a series of commercial and administrative hoops, which they eventually did – thanks largely to Pichot’s refusal to abandon his vision. Assistance from the IRB (now World Rugby) was crucial; with Argentina’s entry into the Rugby Championship under-written to the tune of $10m and Regulation 9 governing player release by clubs amended to allow for their new Test schedule.

When they arrived in the southern hemisphere showpiece in 2012, the Pumas drew with South Africa in their first season and after a grim 2013 campaign, there was a maiden victory a year later – at home to the Wallabies. This year, Argentina won away for the first time; beating the Springboks in Durban.

A key development along the way was the appointment of Hourcade, who spent four years coaching in Portugal and was an in-house UAR replacement for Santiago Phelan, who resigned in 2013. ‘Daniel Hourcade has done something outstanding,’ said Pichot, a member of the union’s board. ‘He believes in attacking rugby, which is something that Argentina rugby never had before. This team has conquered the hearts of people in Argentina, by playing good rugby.’

Pichot has fond memories of what he and his team achieved eight years ago, in defiance of the global system which cast them as outsiders, but he believes that Hourcade’s men have reached a far higher level. ‘What we did in 2007 was something very romantic,’ he said.

‘We didn’t play great rugby, but it was 80 per cent about emotions. We didn’t meet up very often then – we only played four or five games in a year. We didn’ t play against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia regularly, or even against England and France.

Argentina's Moroni celebrates his side's first try during their victory over Ireland

Imhoff scoring his team's fourth try at the Millennium Stadium last Sunday in emphatic fashion

Juan Martin Hernandez is brought to the ground by Ireland's Robbie Henshaw and Keith Earls

‘When I was playing in 2007, people talked to me about how emotional we were and how we sung the anthem and cried, or how well we tackled and counter-attacked. This time, people are saying, “Argentina are playing really good rugby. We’ve never seen them play this way”. To score 43 points against Ireland in a quarter-final shows that they are a much better team than we were in 2007.’

Early next year, the latest phase of Pichot’s vision will fall into place as an Argentinian team will begin their first season in Super Rugby, against the leading SANZAR provisional teams and a new franchise based in Tokyo. This is leading to a mass migration of Pumas back home from European clubs to Buenos Aires, where they can be closely supported and supervised by the UAR, which should in turn create the potential for further strides in the years ahead.

There was a feeling in South America that this World Cup would come too soon for a squad full of young talent. But the rookies have risen to the challenge and Pichot is adamant they are capable of reaching the final, while staying true to their bold instincts. ‘This group really believe they can do it,’ he said. ‘What I know is that they are going to go for it. They know Australia and know they can beat them. I’m sure they will be positive. I have a lot of trust in them.’ That trust and respect is mutual.